The Peasant Queen of Nohr
by Havendance
Summary: My submissions for Mozander Week 2017.
1. MythLegend

Siegbert's parents were more than he could ever be. They were legends who had worked with King Corrin of Valla to end the generations long war between Hoshido and Nohr. They were figures of myth who had taken down a god. His father, King Xander, had tirelessly labored to reform Nohr's laws and bring justice and prosperity to Nohr. His mother, Queen Mozu, had brought new farming techniques which caused barren fields and farms to become less barren. Their fields and farms would never become as prosperous as Hoshido's, but they still were able to ease the dependence on foreign crops. Without a doubt, his parents would be remembered as great leaders and rulers.

As the crown of Nohr was placed on his head, Siegbert only hoped that he would be able to live up to the legacy that they had left him.

 **AN: So, this is really short because I had no idea what to write for this prompt. But, Mozander Week is here, I am on board, at least a little. I probably won't** **manage to complete every day, but I can try!**


	2. LostFound

Mozu paused for breath at the top of the ladder before groping around for the light switch. _I'm getting too old for this_ , she thought as she finally found the light switch, causing the attic to be filled with a dim, flickering light.

The place was covered in dust. No one had been up there since the grandkids had visited last year and decided that they had wanted to play at being explorers. Mozu wouldn't be up here herself if Siegbert hadn't asked her to find his old treasure chest, he had said that it was somewhere in the big wooden chest that Xander had inherited from his mother.

The chest was buried under blankets and boxes labeled in Leo's spidery handwriting from the time that Camilla had forced the rest of the family to come over and clean up the house when Mozu had been in no state to do anything. The labels were comforting in their familiarity: Gardening supplies; Seeds; Books, nonfiction; Books, fiction; Model Airplanes. Mozu read them all as she slowly cleared them off top of the chest. There was the crooked quilt that Elise had made for little Katerina. And there was the quilt that Camilla had insisted on making with her soon after her marriage.

Mozu opened the now cleared off chest, catching sight of an old, framed picture of her wedding day. The girl in that picture looked confused. She had been a war bride. After her village was destroyed by Nohr she had been desperate to escape. She had was fairly pretty and a good cook, that had been enough for her to find a soldier to marry.  
Underneath the picture were the love letters that Xander had written her every day after their marriage. He had been infatuated with her , and, little by little, he determination had won her over. The letters had grown shorter as time went on and they had less and less time, but whenever Xander was around, she found little notes lying about which always made her day.  
Mozu dug further into the chest, stumbling across Xander's medal of Nohr, entombed in it's simple little box. She had banished it to to the attic after it was presented to her. It was a poor substitute for the husband that she had lost, they told her that he had fought bravely to the end That had sounded like something that Xander would do. But nothing would ever bring him back after his death in a border skirmish.

Pushing aside the little box and the bitter memories that it brought with it, Mozu uncover a bag of the little socks and hats and other baby clothes that Elise and Camilla had made her when they learned that she was expecting again. The sorrow that she had felt then was still poignant in her memory. At the time, it had seemed like a blessing, a child to fill the hole that her husband's death had left in her, She had been sure that the child would be a son that she could name Xander after his father. But, the baby had been born dead, and that had pushed her down into a hole so deep that it had taken her quite a while to get out of.

It was funny, maybe it was just her memory getting fuzzy, but Mozu didn't remember putting all of this stuff in the trunk. It might have Leo and Corrin from when they were rearranging the attic, it might have been the kids. Whoever it was, Mozu wondered if they had known just what it would do to her to find all of these. She continued making her her trip through memory, finally stumbling on the box that Siegbert had asked her to find.

She knew that it would be easy to leave the attic now, but Mozu wasn't ready to leave just yet. Why look, just over there was her college degree. . .

 **AN: Day two! For lost/found I decided to go with the idea of finding memories. This one is longer than yesterday's and I hope that you enjoy reading it.**


	3. PastFuture

**Countdown**

 _Ten…_

Marx had never meant to grow close to _her_ in the first place. _She_ was the daughter of an asteroid miner from some backwater system on the Hoshidan side of the empire who had somehow gotten into the Imperial Academy on a scholarship. _He_ was on track to command his own ship, she was going to be science officer , if she made officer rank at all. She was the sort of person that Marx would ordinarily pay no attention to.

It appeared that Fate had other plans though.

 _Nine…_

The had been assigned to work together on a group project in the one class that they both had together. Marx had tried to get a different partner, after all, he _was_ a Nohr, it was expected of him to associate himself with someone of his rank. The teacher had refused to let him have his way, and, strangely enough, as time went on, Marx found himself impressed by this unassuming little girl who had wrestled her way into the most elite military academy in The Empire. And, as he got to know her better, their relationship became more than the professional relationship that they had once shared.

He didn't tell his father about her. Afterall, what his father didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

 _Eight…_

Marx didn't expect to ever see her again after graduation. They had be assigned to different ships, he was in command of ship of his own, She was assigned to a reputable ship on the other side of Imperial space. _The Siegbert_ was not not a particularly big or important ship, but it was his to command. The fact that he had gotten it solely by merit of his family name stung a little, but he vowed to prove that he was worthy of the command on his own merit, not just the merit of his ancestors.

Besides, he was expected to marry a woman of similar position, the sort of woman who would be glad to stay home and throw parties while he was away, serving The Empire. In other words, everything that Mozume was not.

That didn't stop them from spending time together whenever they happened to be docked in the same port.

 _Seven…_

They had their first full fledged argument soon after Marx became the primary spokesperson for his father's political movement. They had gotten together at the Vulcan shipyard, where both of their ships had been stationed for repairs. Marx's marriage to a wealthy nobleman's daughter hadn't done anything to stop his relationship with Mozume.

"You have some nerve, darin' to talk to me like nothing's changed after all that utter rubbish that ya' said about Hoshidans the other day," the intensity of Mozume's anger had startled Marx. "I didn't think that you'd want to spend time with a "cheating, Hoshidan bastard" like me. You're a bad apple, and it's a wonder that I didn't notice 'till just now."  
"I didn't mean that you were any of that, Mozume," Xander said defensively.

"Then who did you mean? My brothers? My Ma and Pa? My friends?"

"I didn't mean word of it, Those were my father's words, not mine. Surely you know that I would never really think that."

"Not everybody knows that," she said quietly, slightly mollified be Marx's words.

It wasn't the first time that they had argued, but they had previously about minor little things that were easily forgotten. This time, their argument kept resurfacing, again, and again, and again.

 _Six…_

The more Marx spoke for his father, the more he rallied up the Nohrian people against the Hoshidan people who kept all the prosperity and opportunities and goods for themselves, the more he began to believe what he was saying. Why _should_ the Hoshidans get the the cream of the crop? Why should _they_ get the best of the newly discovered planets and asteroids? The Nohrians had been the the people who built up the Empire, why were they now ignored? Why were they denied the power and resources that they deserved?

Marx saw what his father had seen, it was if a veil had been lifted for his eyes. They had been exploited by the Hoshidans for long enough. The Empress could claim that everything was fine and dandy. It wasn't. Nohr wanted justice.

He had stopped meeting with Mozume, she disagreed with him, but she was Hoshidan, so what could he expect.

 _Five…_

Marx should've been more suspicious when Mozume was assigned to his ship. _The Siegfried_ was one of the most one of the biggest and most important ships in the Imperial Navy. Empress Kamui herself had acknowledged the glorious deeds that the ship had done. Mozume _was_ one of the best in her field, but she was Hoshidan, if anything, she should've been stationed on _The Raijinto_.

She was good at her job. Nobody could deny that. She didn't seem to be up to anything, so Marx left her alone for the most part. He wasn't one to complain about having a competent crew member.

Looking back, he should've kept a closer eye on her.

 _Four…_

It was becoming clearer and clearer that the Nohrian struggle for justice was going nowhere fast. The Empress refused to acknowledge their petitions. The Hoshidans did nothing in response to their claims that they had been wronged. It was obvious that more drastic measures needed to be taken.

After Garon's death, Marx had taken over the movement. The coup had been his idea originally, but Leon had developed it and made it his own. The plan was to overthrow the Empress and bring about the justice that she had failed to.

Nohr would claim what was rightfully theirs.

 _Three…_

Somehow, Mozume had noticed that they were planning something. Just how much she knew was unclear. Marx should never have been so complacent with her.

"Marx."

"Mozume. What brings you here?" Marx wasn't sure why she had come to see him, but he knew that it couldn't be good.

"I'm gonna cut to the chase. I know that you're up to something, and probably not anything good."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marx said, defensively.

"Don't play dumb with me, Marx. I know you're up to something, even if I don't understand why."

Marx was silent. Saying anything at this point could reveal something crucial.

"Marx, you're where you wanted to be, and who you wanted to be, and doing what you always said you wanted to do, but you still act like you haven't won at all." She wasn't quite shouting, but it was getting there.

"As long as Nohrians are discriminated against in this empire, I will never have won," he said. What he was doing was justified. Why couldn't she see that?

"Look at it that way then! But if you ever start goin' against the empire, then you'd better start runnin' for your life and never lookin' back. 'Cause I swear that I'll be right behind ya'." Her voice was quiet, but Marx knew better than to doubt what she said.

Marx opened his mouth to answer her, but she turned and left before he could say anything.

He should have kept a closer eye on her.

 _Two…_

The note was an assuming little thing. Just a piece of paper folded and slipped under his door. It's contents were brief too, there were instructions on where he should meet her and a threat, never put in words, but there nonetheless.

It was written in Mozume's hand.

Marx didn't tell anyone about it. He should've ignored it, but her note would not allow itself to be forgotten. He decided to go. If she knew about the coup, then all their well placed plans could go astray.

It was a mistake.

 _One…_

She was standing in front of him. He was trapped. He couldn't get out. There was a bomb that was counting down between the two of them. It was obvious that he was going to die.

"I've told the Admiral about your plan. It's not gonna to work," Mozume told him, her voice strangely calm considering the circumstances.

"If you've told him, then why did you lure me here?"

"You and I are unfinished business, Marx."

"But if you blow up this place, then you'll die too. What reason do you have to do this if you can just turn me in?" He was confused and desperate.

"I just told the Admiral, he didn't believe me. Ya' ask me why? I hate you for what you've done to the empire, the things you've said about Hoshido, the fact that I cared about you once and all you've done is betray my trust. That's why," she said with a barely contained fury, before she regained control over her tone. "Any last words?"

"I should've never trusted you."  
She merely shrugged. "You reap what you sow."

 _Zero._

 **AN: Day three! So, I'm late because I was really busy and forgot to post yesterday. I haven't written anything for today or tomorrow, because I procrastinated like crazy leading up to this, but I hope you enjoy this story. :)**


	4. Cinderella AU

The only place where Mozu really felt safe was the juniper tree back behind the house, on to of her mother's grave. It reminded her of happier times. Time when her mother was still alive, and her father still talked to her. Times before that Charlotte woman charmed her father, and all but forced Mozu out of her own house.

Mozu's father was a respected and wealthy merchant. When her mother was still alive, they had all sat together around the fire in the evenings, and he had told them stories of his travels as Mozu and her mother had worked on their sewing. But then her mother had gotten sick, nobody had known what was ailing her, and she just got sicker, and sicker, and sicker, till she finally died of whatever it was that she had. Father had never been the same after her death. He left for longer periods of time, and the time between voyages grew shorter. He barely spent any time with Mozu, and she spent most of her spare time managing the house, waiting for those brief moments when her father would return and they could spend time together, and, just for a little while Mozu could pretend that things were how they had always been. But it was never real. Never.

And, one day, father had shown up with a wife on his arm, as if anyone could replace the mother she had lost, and told Mozu that Charlotte, she'd never call that woman mother, was now the mistress of the house, and that Mozu should treat that woman's two daughters like her own flesh and blood. That wasn't about to happen.

It wasn't that she hadn't tried to be welcoming to them at first, after all, it was lonely in the house, and some company would be welcome, even if they weren't necessarily Mozu's favorite people in the world. She had shown them around the house, helped them get settled in, and tried to help them feel at home. They hadn't returned the favor. All Charlotte seemed to care about was the wealth that Mozu's father had accumulated during his travels. Her two daughters weren't much better. Selena and Peri were spoiled rotten, the one wasteful and greedy, the other a living terror to the servants.

The three of them constantly wanted what Mozu had, and they took what they wanted by force. And, eventually, they pushed Mozu out of her very birthright, forcing her to a position that was no higher than that of a common peasant. She became their servant, they berated her so often that she barely had time to finish one thing before she had to do another. They called her Cinders, and Ashes, and Dust, and Dirt, and whatever else it was that she was covered when she answered their call. It was the name Cinders that eventually stuck.

Father barely came home at all anymore. When he did come, they dressed her up in the finery that should've been hers to where every day. They spoke to her in sickly sweet tones, whispering barely veiled insults under their breath. They laughed at her whenever she tried to tell the truth to her father. "She tells such funny stories," they'd say. Or "stop trying to make us laugh, Mozu."

He seldom listened to her anymore, and his visits were so short that it seemed that he had barely arrived before he left again and Mozu was shoved back to her work.

Now Mozu spent more and more time at her mother's grave. It was the one place that they never followed her to. They didn't know about it, and Mozu intended to keep it that way. And so she hid, plotting and scheming of a way to escape her home and so called family.

-X-X-X-X-X-

One day, the household received word that King Xander was searching for a bride, and to determine who he should marry, his sister, Princess Camilla, had arranged that a ball be held for three nights, and every eligible lady in the kingdom was to be invited. It was hoped that king would be able to choose one of the young women to rule beside him as his queen.

It was no surprise that their household had received an invitation. Mozu's father was a well respected merchant and her Mother had been a minor nobleman's daughter. The arrival of the invitation sent up a flurry of frantic preparations. Selena brought home even more stuff than usual from her shopping trips, and Peri became so obsessed with achieving the perfect look, that she had quite forgotten to terrorize the servants. From sunup to sundown, they ordered Mozu about, keeping her even busier than usual.

Mozu wanted to attend the ball, after all, it was her mother's title that Charlotte's daughters were riding on to get in. But when she had asked Charlotte if she could attend, she had been denied.

"You'll only make a fool of yourself, Cinders," They told her.

"You'd have nothing to wear, Cinders."

"You don't have any time, Cinders."

These were only excuses, and poor ones at that. Surely they realized that Mozu had been a lady before they came and forced her down to the position of a mere servant. She had many fine dresses secreted away somewhere, any of which would be acceptable finery for her to wear to the ball. And they were the time reason that she had so little time. But, she knew that arguing would only cause them to hold their ground more, so instead she silently seethed and plotted. She'd show them. She'd get there herself, without any of their help.

It was a simple enough matter to smuggle one of her mother's dresses out of the storage room where they were kept. It was a slightly less simple matter to find time to call on old friends that she hadn't seen in years and find one that would be willing help Mozu. And was not a simple matter at all to round up enough money to hire a carriage for three nights.

And then things started to go wrong, very, very wrong. At first it seemed like the problems were ones that Mozu could overcome, but they kept adding up and it felt like nothing was going right. It was pouring rain outside, which meant that she had gotten soaked during the short walk to the house of the friend who had agreed to help her prepare for the ball. When she arrived, it turned out that the friend had already left, so Mozu had to head back through the rain, getting soaked a second time in the process. It was difficult to get into one of her mother's old dresses by herself, but she managed it in the end only to discover that the carriage she had hired was nowhere to be seen.

It was only then that Mozu allowed herself to be worried about actually making it to the ball. She was in a real spot of trouble now. She didn't have a carriage and she couldn't go out to find one without getting soaked again and ruining her mother's dress. All of the servants had left hours ago, having been given the evening off, and even if there was somebody to send, the likelihood of there being a carriage to hire on this evening was lower than the likelihood of her father riding in on a dragon shooting lightning from his fingertips. The sheer unfairness of the situation caused Mozu to begin to cry tears of frustration.

She was the middle of crying with anger, annoyance and frustration when she was interrupted by a kind voice.

"Why are you crying, dear?" Mozu looked up to see a woman clothed entirely in violet speaking to her.

"I'm crying 'cause nothing seems to be goin right tonight." Mozu narrowed her eyes. "Who are ya anyway?"

"We're your fairy godmothers!" piped up an enthusiastic girl dressed in pink who Mozu hadn't noticed before.

"Really?" Mozu didn't think that fairy godmothers really existed.

"No," said the violet woman. "You can consider us your patrons. My name is Camilla and this is my sister, Elise." She gestured to the pink girl.

"Hi!" Elise waved.

"So why are ya here? I'm not an artist," said Mozu.

"You do want to go the the ball, don't you?" Camilla asked.

Mozu nodded.

"We're here to help you get there."

That must have been Elise's cue, because she immediately rushed Mozu off and prettied her up, talking all the while. It was only later, as the two of them rushed Mozu to a carriage outside, that she had a chance to ask the question that was burning in her mind.

"Why are ya doin this?"

"Because you deserve to go!" Elise said with her usual enthusiasm.

"No, I mean what are ya gettin out of this?"

"Let's just say that I have a vested interest in making sure our king finds a bride at this ball," Camilla said, helping Mozu into the carriage. "Now, go enjoy yourself, dear. And don't forget the carriage leaves at midnight sharp, so don't miss it.

And, with that note, Camilla closed the carriage door and sent Mozu on her way. There was another girl in the carriage, she introduced herself and the two of them made small talk as they rattled along the roads to Windmire and Castle Krakenberg. They stopped a couple more times before arriving, each time picking up another girl. Each of them had a similar story to Mozu; they couldn't make it to the ball, and, in the end, Camilla and Elise had helped them out.

All conversation trickled to a halt as the carriage made its way through the streets of Windmire. Mozu had visited the capitol before, but she had never seen it like it was now. The streets were just as deserted as they ever were, but the buildings and streets were decorated with flags bearing the crest of Nohr and bunting in purple, black, and effect would've been quite festive it the streets weren't quite so bare, and the weather wasn't quite so dreary. The girls grew even more impressed as Castle Krakenberg itself came into view. THere was a candle in every window and strands of lanterns were hanging about, lighting up the dreary place with an almost welcoming glow. Whoever it was that organized the ball had certainly made sure that nothing would be left out.

Mozu's wonder reached its peak when she saw the ballroom. It was swirling with ladies dancing. They were wearing dresses of every color and design. The ballroom itself was filled with light from the glittering chandeliers overhead. She didn't see Charlotte or her daughters anywhere that she looked, but there must have been hundreds of girls and young women invited that night.

As soon as the next song started, Mozu was asked to dance, and off she went, dancing every dance with a different part every time. She hadn't had this much fun since before Charlotte had shown up.

Most of her dancing was a happy blur, but there were a few faces that stood out among the rest. There was the gray haired man who flirted with her the entire time that they danced. Another man had been one of the wolfskin that Mozu had heard about. She had never met one before, but this one seemed nice enough, if a bit confused, not all bloody-eyed and terrible. And then there was the tall blond man who had danced with her twice. Mozu liked him the best, he was polite and slightly reserved, if a bit overwhelmed by all that was going on around him.

All to soon, Mozu looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight. She rushed out, and the carriage brought her home, where she collapsed on her bed, exhausted.

The next day proceeded much like the first. Dawn came all too soon as Mozu rolled out of and walked groggily towards the kitchen where she got to work the same as she did any day. All Peri and Selena would talk about was the ball; who they danced with, what they saw, that mysterious girl who danced twice with the young king. Mozu listened to their gossip, pretending that she hadn't gone to the same place that they had and seen the same things that they had seen.

That evening, after Charlotte had flounced out the door with her daughters, Camilla and Elise showed up again, teasing her about her conquests as they helped her prepare. And they ushered her out to the same carriage as before, giving her the same warning and sent her on her way.

Once again, she danced through the night, barely stopping. She knew that this would likely be the last bit of fun that she'd have for a good while. The blond man from the previous night danced with her again, much to Mozu's enjoyment. He was a good conversationalist and they talked and laughed together as they danced the night away. He danced mostly with her, only occasionally dancing with someone else.

It was strange, didn't even know his name, and yet, she felt like she could trust him. At least for these three nights before she went back to the life that was forced upon her.

Then Mozu noticed it was nearly midnight, and she rushed away again. But not before her partner stopped her and asked for her name. And all the way Mozu laughed to herself. She'd never expected that she was dancing with the young king himself. To think, she was the person that her sisters had been so jealous at at breakfast.

The next morning, mozu could barely contain her laughter as Peri and Selena all but turned green with envy as they complained about the girl who took all of the king's time. As if they would have a chance with him in the first place.

That night, as Camilla and Elise helped her out in their usual manner, they insisted that she wear the dress that they provided. It was beautiful, more beautiful than any of her mother's old dresses, elegant, and it fit Mozu like a glove. It was a dress fit for a queen. They teased her while they helped her into it, but Mozu could tell that there was a seriousness in their teasing that hadn't been there before.

"You've got to look your best tonight," they told her. Did they really think that Xander would propose to her that night? They were certainly acting like it, even if they were trying to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. Camilla even issued the same warning that she had the previous two nights.

Xander danced only with her that night. They talked and laughed like they had before, but it was clear that he was chewing over something in his mind. Maybe he would propose tonight after all. But he didn't, and when midnight began to approach, Mozu ran out of the ballroom in a hurry, well as quickly as she could run in the dress she had been given. In her hurry, one of her shoes fell off on the castle steps, but, as she could see that the carriage was about to leave, she left it behind.

When she arrived home, she hung up the dress that she had been given with her mother's old gowns, keeping it as memento of the ball. She turned her back on it and closed the door behind her. Mozu supposed that xander might come looking for her if he was really as smitten as everyone acted like he was, but were three nights of dancing really enough to base a relationship off of?

Her question was answered later that day when Princess Camilla herself came knocking on the door. Mozu had suspected the true identity of her 'patron', but to have it confirmed was still surprising. Charlotte and her daughters were out calling, so nobody had been around to stop the princess from marching in and inviting Mozu to tea in her own house. Which, considering her home situation, seemed very out of place for her.

"Well dearie, you've given my brother quite the shock," Camilla said while drinking tea. "When I told you that the carriage left at midnight, I didn't mean that you should abandon my brother like that."

"I didn't want to be left behind," Mozu said defensively. "I didn't have any other way to get home."

"If Xander had proposed to you, that wouldn't have been a problem."

"It wasn't like he was going to get around to proposing last night anyway."

Camilla shook her head dismissively. "Regardless, you've made quite the impression on him. My brother has decided that he's going to look in every house in the kingdom to find you."

"Oh." Mozu wasn't quite sure what to think about that.

"I tried to tell him that I knew where you lived, but he wouldn't listen." Camilla shrugged. "At least I talked him out of his first plan, which was to have every girl in the kingdom try on that shoe you left behind to find out who it fit."  
Mozu snorted. "Did he really think that that would work? There must be dozens of girls who could wear that shoe."

"I told him that if he needed a shoe to recognize you, he didn't know you as well as he thought."

"When ya' put it that way, I guess we don't really know each other that well. We've only known each other for three nights."

"Nevertheless, Xander has decided that he wishes to marry you, and I am not one to oppose him. Which brings me to the reason for my visit."

"And?"

"I want you to come to the castle with me. My brother has a kingdom to run and he can't do that if he's looking everywhere for you."  
"He really wants to marry me that much?"

Camilla nodded.

"Then I'll come." Mozu decided in an instant that being queen had to be better than being a servant.

"Excellent, gather up anything you want to take with you and we'll go."  
It didn't take long for Mozu to gather up the few things that she wanted to take with her. And once again she found herself in a carriage heading for the capital, scarcely believing all that had happened in three short days.

 **AN: This is my (very belated) entry for day 7 of Mozander week! Woooo! So, I figured, we've got a prince and peasant, what better than a Cinderella AU.**


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